


The extra, the spark

by RubyEliz



Category: Free!
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 02:32:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14707440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyEliz/pseuds/RubyEliz
Summary: Haru doesn't think he can handle it much longer. The awkward, asymmetrical conversations. The shy moments of mutual curiosity that somehow always end in misunderstandings. He just wants to be with Rin. But he’s tired of the longing, of the creeping worry that if one of them doesn’t act soon maybe Rin will up and leave again and they’ll have missed their chance altogether.So he sits on the train as it thunders toward Rin, alive with anticipation, the warm air electric against his skin.(AKA Another Rin and Haru getting together attempt that involves kissing in water because apparently I have zero original ideas, but also I kind of just love it).





	The extra, the spark

Haru’s not exactly sure what it is that finally causes him to snap and make the walk to Iwatobi station, to board the train to Samezuka almost as if on autopilot. Perhaps there is just something in the air - uncharacteristically muggy for this time of year - that feels too close, too uncomfortable, forcing him to confront the other thing that has been making his skin itch for weeks.

Like most things of any consequence it all goes back to Rin, to his return back from Australia suddenly twice as tall and all broad shoulders and hard edges. Haru had been childishly infatuated with Rin in his youth, but seeing him emerge from the shadows, body of swimmer now and boyish features chiseled away to sharp planes and angles, it didn’t take long to realise that his current feelings go far above and beyond that innocent romance of petals and time capsules. He is almost painfully attracted to Rin, and even through all the animosity and posturing there had been something about the way he felt that night when their eyes connected that had given him hope. Hope that he wasn’t the only one who felt the sparks jump between them, the tantalising promise of the potential for those sparks to catch and blaze.

Unfortunately, equally quickly he had also learned that Rin had come back with walls up so high that Haru couldn’t hope to begin to work out how to scale them. He’d wrested for weeks with the frustration of knowing so clearly what he wanted in there _here and now_ while Rin seemed intent on chasing past ghosts. Still, he shamelessly rose to every dig and challenge, working his frustrations out with more pool time than ever before, because even just fighting with Rin felt more urgent, more important, than anything else had in years.

He bitterly regrets now that he let his one big chance pass him by, when Rin had pinned him to the ground and for one brief shining moment cracked open in front of him, allowing Haru to see the want so clearly in his eyes.

...At least he believes that’s what happened. What he saw. He’s thought about it so often since he’s no longer sure if it’s true or he’s just willing it to be.

And so he’s been on high alert ever since that day of the relay, constantly watchful for any sign that Rin might once again open up to him.

He’d tried the gentle approach, making sure on the rare occasions they were able to hang out with either the Iwatobi or the Samezuka team that he stayed near to Rin, trying to signal through brushed shoulders and bumped knees that he’d be open to more. But they don’t get to see each other enough for it to be all that effective. Besides, Rin’s so irritatingly charming it’s rare that he’s not already surrounded by people making claims on his time, his smiles, his attention.

When they are at Samezuka it's not so bad. Haru quite likes watching Rin in captain mode, and he _really_ likes that even with his whole team present, Rin still gets overtly excited about swimming with Haru. It's a different story at Iwatobi high school. Anytime Rin comes over to see the team it’s as if girls just materialise, wanting to see _the swimmer from Australia who's going to be an Olympian someday._  Some of these girls flirt openly with Rin and Haru suffers through it, quietly analysing every reaction from Rin and plotting ways to intercept him before he makes it to school grounds.

He’d also tried a more symbolic gesture, clumsily attempting to trigger some kind of reckoning between them by walking Rin to ‘their’ cherry blossom tree on the pretext of needing help with his English assignment. He’d been thinking about how much Rin loves the sakura, about how stupidly over excited he would get about them as a child, and about how it was that Rin - the romantic open hearted one - that he wanted to see before he took the risk of revealing his own heart.

But very quickly he had realised he’d miscalculated something. Rin had looked up at the blossoms, head tipped back, hands stuffed in pockets, shoulders tight, and in the space of seconds he’d been a million miles away. Haru couldn’t understand. It was supposed to be make Rin happy, so why did he look like he wanted to cry?

Rin didn’t even hear Haru call out to him the first time, eventually turning with his mouth set in a hard line.

“What are we doing here Haru.” His voice was flat and so weary. Haru could almost hear the walls redoubling in size. He looked away frustrated and disappointed.

Rin had taken a final glance over his shoulder before trudging past Haru, knuckles tight on his bag strap.

_“I’m not some dumb kid anymore.”_

They had carried on to Haru’s as planned to tackle his assignment, but it was unsatisfying for both of them. Rin had gotten frustrated and snappy because he didn’t think Haru seemed to care enough, and Haru didn’t understand how homework could feel important when it was as if something had shattered inside Rin and he just couldn’t predict when he was going to cut himself on the shards.

That had been a few weeks ago now, and while the blossoms are gone, scattered by the wind, the dissatisfaction Haru had felt at the situation still lingers.

And Haru doesn't think he can handle it much longer. The awkward, asymmetrical conversations. The shy moments of mutual curiosity that somehow always end in misunderstandings. He just wants to be with Rin. He’s waited for so long now, trying to be patient. But he’s tired of the longing, of the creeping worry that if one of them doesn’t act soon maybe Rin will up and leave again and they’ll have missed their chance altogether. He can’t keep pretending he’s ok when every day they aren’t together is another day wasted. Can’t keep losing himself in looks that linger just that little bit too long to be nothing, but never long enough to be decisive.

So he sits on the train as it thunders toward Rin, alive with anticipation, the warm air electric against his skin.

Sure enough, he finds Rin is in the pool. Haru had known he would be. He’s swimming fast butterfly and Haru watches him complete a few laps from the shadows. It’s doesn’t look as effortless or streamlined as free, but the raw power of Rin’s strokes as he bends the water to his will sends a tremor across his skin.

He shucks off his pants and T-shirt and doesn’t bother with a cap or goggles before he dives cleanly into the lane beside Rin. Rin pulls up short, startled by the interruption and so Haru ducks under the lane line, bobbing to the surface just in front of him.

Rin’s eyes are hidden by his race goggles and so Haru finds himself looking back at twin mirror images of himself as Rin thrashes to get his balance after losing the momentum he’d had.

“Haru, what the hell! What are you doing here?” he finally splutters.

“I came here to be with you.” Haru replies, forcing himself to resist the urge to reach out, waiting for Rin to understand him.

“You mean you want to swim.” Rin sighs sounding annoyed.

“No. I mean what I said. I came to be with you.” Haru repeats, irritated that Rin won’t just accept the obvious, has to mine his words for inferences that aren’t there.

Rin pulls down his goggles so they hang at his throat and regards Haru suspiciously. They float there for a long moment, suspended, arms tracing slow arcs as they tread water.

“I don’t understand.” Rin says finally, quietly.

Haru huffs annoyed and reaches out to pull Rin toward him by his goggle straps until their mouths are flush.

It doesn’t go so well. He misjudges the angle and Rin flinches in shock so that their noses bash. But, for all intents and purposes, it is a kiss. He’s done it. He’s finally kissed Rin.

He pulls away, still holding Rin’s goggles and observes with some satisfaction the blush that is spreading across Rin’s cheeks.

“Haru! Wh-what are you doing?”

Haru shrugs. “It was supposed to be a kiss.”

“But...why.” Rin asks still opened mouthed.

“Because I wanted to.”

“Oh.” Rin blinks stupidly, then his eyes flick to Haru’s mouth. “Did...did you like it?”

Haru shrugs again. “I thought it would feel different”

Rin bristles at that.

“Wait, no fair. You caught me by surprise. I can do it better.”

Haru juts his chin forward, the challenge clear. “Ok then.”

Rin’s blush deepens and he braces his hand against the lane line, placing his other arm around Haru’s shoulders to hold them both up.

Rin takes his time to to bridge the gap, eyes locked on Haru’s, searching for any small indication that Haru is likely to pull away, but eventually when he meets no resistance he presses their lips together, at first barely moving before he pulls Haru closer against him and opens his mouth slightly to capture Haru’s bottom lip between his own.

Haru sighs into the contact. Rin is right, this is better. Rin’s mouth is soft and warm as it moves against his own and he can faintly taste the chlorine on Rin’s skin. They pull apart briefly so Haru can tug away Rin’s swim cap, before knotting his fingers in Rin’s hair, enjoying the sound of the water, of their mouths as they move back together.

Rin pulls away more firmly the second time and searches Haru face before deciding.

“You liked it that time, I can tell.”  

His smile is back, that flash of arrogance that always causes Haru’s blood to surge.

Haru shrugs, eyes glittering.

“And you like me, admit it.”

“I do like you Rin.” Haru agrees easily. Rin seems thrown by the lack of tease.

“You could have told me.” he grumbles, sinking down so half his face his covered with water, sulking.

Haru dips his head down to capture Rin’s lips again, both of them half submerged. Rin manages to snort water through his nose and pulls away coughing.

“Haru knock it off! You can’t keep surprising me like that.”

“I’m allowed to want to kiss you Rin.”

“Haru that’s not the…”

Rin is cut off by the sound of a door slamming someway off to the side. He freezes looking panicked and flinches away from Haru. Haru tries not to feel hurt by how quickly he moves.

Heart racing, Rin stays very still for a few long seconds, eyes bright and head cocked to one side listening out for approaching footsteps. Hearing nothing, he eventually releases a breath frustrated.

“We shouldn’t be doing this here, come on.”

Rin swims for the side and Haru follows him feeling tense. He’s not ready for this to be over, it was just getting good. He’s not ready to leave.

But Rin doesn’t actually ask him to go, instead with a quick glance over his shoulder to check that Haru is following he leads him deeper into the facilities, to the locker rooms. Rin pauses in front of what must be his locker, resting one hand against the door, the other pulling at his hair.

Haru stands there waiting for him to settle on a reaction, on an emotion. To say something. And he can’t help but admire Rin’s form while he does, casting his eyes over Rin’s lean and muscular frame. Rin’s chest is rising and falling more rapidly than it should, making his abs and obliques ripple with each breath. Haru nibbles his lip, feeling his heart flutter. Rin is _so beautiful_. Haru knows that Rin probably wouldn’t like the word, would infer an insult in it somehow, but it’s true.

Rin wirls round suddenly, causing Haru to jump.

“Haru stop staring.”

Haru doesn’t bother trying to deny it, instead he tries to explain.

“You changed while you were away”

Rins snorts softly “No shit” but then his brows raise slightly and his expression shifts to something Haru can’t quite read - something much more vulnerable, sad even

“You really think I’m so different?”

Haru pauses. The last thing he wants is to make Rin sad, to accidentally trigger his retreat.

“In some ways.” He answers finally. “I mean you look different.”

“How?” Rin challenges looking confused.

Haru considers and then steps forward, slowly raising a hand to lightly press his fingertips to Rin’s jaw.

“Your face is longer here. Sharper.”

Rin’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t pull back. Instead he seems to shiver slightly at the touch. When he speaks, his voice is a quiet and a little strained.

“What else?”

Haru trails his index finger slowly down Rin’s throat, lower to trace the span of Rin’s collarbone.

“You’re broader here.”

Rin is watching him intently.

“What else?”

Haru moves his hand back up and gently circles the swell at Rin’s throat. “This”

Rin sucks in a breath and swallows heavily, Haru’s fingertips following the motion.

“What else?”

Gathering his courage, Haru trails his fingers very lightly over Rin’s chest, barely even touching really, only coming to a pause when he has reached the faintest hint of coarseness trailing from Rin’s belly button down into his jammers. The skin is mostly smooth, shaven, but Haru can still make out just the faintest trace of the hair that now grows there.

“This”

“That’s enough.” Rin croaks, his skin blazing.

Haru pauses, but doesn’t pull away

“I like it Rin. I like how you look. I like you.”

Rin burns crimson and Haru risks increasing the pressure of his hand just a little, his fingers just brushing the top of Rin’s jammers.

“Do you really want me to stop?”

Rin lets out a stuttering breath, eyes falling closed as he slowly shakes his head, his teeth worrying over his bottom lip.

Haru leans in kiss him again, backing Rin up until his shoulders hit the locker. Then slowly, very slowly he inches his hand lower. He pauses there, only just touching Rin, getting used to the feel of the heat and hardness of him. His own blood rushes and pools in answer. The moment hangs frozen, suspended like the single second of calm between the sea’s inhale and the waves that must inevitably crash to shore. Eventually Rin sighs, opening his eyes and shifting a little, bucking ever so slightly against Haru’s hand.

“Haru, what are you doing?”

“I don’t know” Haru admits “I just wanted to touch you.”

“Oh”

“Can I do it more?”

Rin bites his lip again and nods. And this time Haru can see the want in his eyes so much more clearly. He wants this, he wants Haru. Although maybe he’s also just reflecting Haru’s own want back at him, because _Haru wants Rin._ He wants Rin so badly.

Tentatively, Haru starts to move his hand. It feels more than a little awkward, pawing at Rin in this way through the fabric of his suit, but from the sound of Rin’s breath hitching, his head dropping to rest on Haru’s shoulder it doesn’t appear to be entirely ineffective.

After just a little more of this Haru pauses his movements, considering. Rin buries his face into Haru’s hair letting out what sounds suspiciously like a whimper. _Rin, whimpering._ Haru’s heart rate picks up even more, he wonders if Rin can feel the hammering in his chest. He adjusts their position slightly, pressing his thigh in between Rin’s legs so that Rin’s own thigh pushes up against him. He cradles Rin’s face in his hands and kisses him again, deeply, as they start to push against each other, grinding together and chasing the delicious friction that far too quickly has them both panting desperately into each others mouths.

 Haru kisses Rin with everything he has, cursing his own lack of experience. He knows he feels molten, burning up with each brush of Rin’s body against his own, but he’s struck by the fear that he has no idea if its the same for Rin. What Rin likes.

“Rin..Rin is it ok? Like this?” He mumbles out breathlessly in a break between kisses, his words muffled against Rin’s skin.

Rin clutches him closer in response. “Mmmm. Don’t stop.”

Agonisingly slowly, Rin moves his hands from Haru’s shoulders, sliding his palms down Haru’s back to his hips, gripping him tightly, stepping up the pace. Haru bites back a moan of pleasure at finally having Rin’s hands on his body the way he’s imagined so many times. It’s not actually as competitive as he’d considered it might be he thinks, instead it's like they are moving as one, their need blurring and mingling together until there's no Haru and no Rin, only the two of them together. He’s pulled from this idle thought though by Rin’s teeth grazing his bottom lip before he presses a wet kiss to Haru’s neck and moans.

“Oh god, Haru...I think I’m gonna….”

Their movements become more jerky, more urgent and Haru finds he can no longer get enough air, he buries his face in Rin’s hair as he gasps shakily. Just a few more desperate bucks against Rin and he feels the release take him, sharp and blinding. Rin’s fingers dig almost painfully into his skin as Rin similarly bites back his cries and trembles in Haru’s arms gasping.  

They separate, still breathing heavily. Rin stares at him with wide, dark eyes, looking a little stunned before pulling them wordlessly to the showers to clean up, stumbling a little on unsteady legs along the way. Haru’s skin feels like it’s burned from Rin’s touch. He tips his head back under the jet willing his heart to calm.

Once the water is turned off, the silence that falls between them isn’t entirely comfortable.

Haru turns to find this time it’s Rin staring at him. Rin blushes, caught.

“I never thought…” he blurts out but trails off. Haru blinks back at him.

“What? Tell me.”

Rin seems to choose each word carefully, which under the circumstances Haru can understand

“I never thought that we would…”

“Are you sorry?” Haru doesn’t mean to interrupt, but its too important not too. Rin’s eyes widen.

“No!.... Wait, are you?”

Haru shakes his head firmly, relieved.

“Oh. Good, I mean… yeah, that’s good.”  Rin worries his lower lip with his teeth, brow knitting and when he speaks again he sounds less sure.  “But it’s not just...it’s not just this, right? I mean…” Rin is fumbling again and Haru feels his chest clench with affection

“No, I told you already Rin. I want to be with you. I meant it.”

“Oh…. I mean good. That’s good. I...I want that too.” Rin’s forehead smooths and he smiles shyly back at Haru. Haru wonders how his heart is going to take this. It feels like it’s going to burst from his chest.

They dress quickly, tugging on clothes over still damp skin and Rin takes Haru’s hand and pulls him gently back to the entrance of the pool.

“You’ll need to be quick. They set the alarms soon and you don’t want to miss the last train.”

Haru nods and lands a slightly clumsy glancing kiss against Rin’s temple. But as he turns to leave, he feels Rin grasp suddenly at his fingers and turns to find him staring at him intently, cheeks red. It reminds him somehow of watching Rin introduce himself to their class all those years ago, the coiled up eagerness of his frame.

“I like you too Haru.” He announces, louder than necessary considering the closeness.

“I know Rin.”

But Rin just grips his fingers more urgently.

“No, I mean I ‘like you’ like you Haru. I didn’t say it before.”

Haru lets their fingers lace then, and gives Rin’s hand a slight squeeze.

“I know Rin. I ‘like you’ like you too.”

It feels like unnecessarily hard work to have to keep stating the obvious, but he decides it’s worth it if Rin is going to keep looking at him the way he does now, eyes soft and shining.

Rin exhales a puff of breath, “So...you’ll come back tomorrow?”

Haru cocks his head considering. “No, you come over to mine. You’re allowed to get signed out for overnights right?”

“You mean you want me to stay?”

Haru nods. “That’s what I said”

“Oh, Ok. Yeah. I’ll come tomorrow.” Rin’s face has gone all soft and kind of goofy looking and Haru rolls his eyes slightly before ducking forward to steal a final lingering kiss.

“So tomorrow” Rin repeats when they break apart, flushed and happy.

Haru can’t hold back his own smile.

“Tomorrow. Goodnight Rin.”

“Night Haru...and get home safe...and sleep well and …eat something that isn’t mackerel and ….Tsk...jeez just.. see you tomorrow.” Rin scrubs a hand through his hair looking embarrassed at his own ramblings and Haru allows himself one final look before he turns and retraces his steps to the station.

And he may just be imagining it, but Haru thinks the air seems more temperate, the sky more beautiful. His skin doesn’t itch anymore, instead it glows, tingling pleasantly in all the places Rin has touched him. He’ll risk the hard edges he thinks, is willing to navigate the shards, will find ways to fix them back together if he can. Because Rin, his Rin, is more than just a spark. He is all warmth and heat and energy and brightness. Rin is worth it.

The whole way home Haru relishes this new feeling. It feels like hope.

**Author's Note:**

> So I feel like I kind of need to explain/excuse any kind of patchiness (imbalance?) here - this is pretty much pulled together from scraps of half ideas that I've not ended up using in my attempt at a multi-chapter story or were in part an earlier attempt at my one shot (or were just sentences floating around) - I didn't want to just forget or do nothing with it so I pulled it into this. Hope it is not too disjointed to read fresh. 
> 
> Also, I find coming up with titles near impossible so once again I just stole song lyrics :S


End file.
